Making Bread Dough

Bread dough can be made by a bread machine, by hand, or with a stand mixer. Whatever method you choose, the order of adding ingredients makes a difference. First, put in the wet stuff plus things the yeast doesn't like. Next, the "flour", then the yeast and things yeast likes, and finally, the stir-in things like dried fruit and seeeds.



Liquids and things yeast doesn't like:

• Scalded milk (if using fresh milk, scald it first to deactivate enzymes)
• Fats and oils
• Water, liquid whey, other liquids
• Any other dairy, including powdered milk
• Eggs; make sure it's not too hot first, if there's scalded milk in there, for example.
• Salt

Flour:

• All varieties of flour and bulky dry stuff

Yeast, and things yeast likes:

• Sugars
• Malt Powder
• Ascorbic acid, other ascidic dry ingredients
• Yeast; I prefer the "instant active" kind

On the top:

• Seeds
• Oats
• Spices
• Dried fruits

Method:
Bread machine:

1. Add all the liquids and things yeast doesn't like to the bottom of the bread machine pan.
2. Cover that with all of the flour.
3. Make a well in the top of the flour. Fill it with the yeast and things yeast likes, blending some flour into it as well. Take care to keep it at the top of the flour mound, so it will stay dry during a delayed start cycle.
4. Taking care not to spill the yeast, and also trying to keep it out of the liquid, sprinkle the "on the top" ingredients. Now run the cycle!

Hand or Mixer:

1. Add all the liquids and things yeast doesn't like to the bottom of the bowl. Mix together.
2. Measure out the flour, reserving a cup or so for final hydration adjustment at the end.
3. Add half of the measured flour (less the reserve) to the liquids and stir in. If using a mixer, start it on low and let it keep going.
4. Add the yeast and things yeast likes to the other half of the flour, and stir together. Add this slowly (doesn't need to be super slow) to the bowl until it's all mixed in. 
5. Begin kneading, adding as much of the reserved flour as needed to make the dough feel nice. With a mixer, knead for 7 min on med; do it longer by hand.

Factiods:

• If the dry yeast gets coated with oil, it will fail to get the water and sugar it needs to grow and raise the loaf.
• Salt retards yeast growth.
• I've heard that enzymes in milk can also retard yeast growth. When I use fresh milk, I scald it first, then cool it by adding the butter and water and pouring it into the mixer bowl so it doesn't cook eggs or kill the yeast. If your finger isn't burned by it, the yeast will be fine too.
• Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) helps yeast grow better, especially in a rich recipe. I add about 1/8 teaspoon to most loafs.
• Malt powder helps a loaf brown nicer, and helps the yeast grow. I add a teaspoon of it to every loaf. You can get it at stores that sell beer brewing supplies.
• Yeast feeds on sugars, so I place it next to the sugars, malt, and ascorbic acid.